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Crude Oil - Fuels - Plastics
Crude Oil - Fuels - Plastics
Crude oil (petroleum) Formed over millions of years from the remains of simple
marine organisms
Natural
Remains of simple Pressure gas(e.g. CH4)
marine organisms
Millions of Years
There is a limit to coal, crude oil (petroleum) and natural gas life as they will run out over
time – they are finite – or non-renewable.
Hydrocarbons are compounds that contain the elements hydrogen and carbon only.
H H H H
Example of a H C C C C H
hydrocarbon H H H
H
Some other
substances are S
also present
Carbon has the ability to form bonds with other carbon atoms resulting in the formation
of carbon atom chains, e.g.
H H H H H H H H H H
H H H
H C C C C C C C C H H C C C H
H C C H
H H H H H H
H H H H H H H
Crude oil is separated into fractions The process is called Fractional Distillation
petrol 4 – 12 40 to 100
20 – 30 over 350
Lubricating oil
Hot crude oil
Fractions contain hydrocarbons with boiling points in the same range, e.g. the petrol
fraction has hydrocarbons with boiling points in the range 40-100 ˚C
Long chain hydrocarbons are at the bottom of the column as they do not boil until a
very high temperature
Some of the fractions are used as fuels (e.g. Kerosine – aeroplane fuel) others are further
processed by cracking. (see next page)
CO2
SO2
Global Warming
Acid Rain
NO2
CO
Incomplete combustion
Cracking
At high temperature long hydrocarbon chains are broken down into smaller, more
useful hydrocarbons.
Shorter Used to make the
more useful plastic polythene
This can create ethene.
If many ethene molecules are linked together it is called polythene which is used to
make many plastics
Creating Plastics
monomer
polymer
There are many types of plastics, all made by polymerisation, e.g. polythene, PVC, PTFE
(Teflon) and polystyrene.
Strong /
Strong / low density
low density
Plastics are used widely in place of natural materials such as paper and iron
PVC plastic is used to make water pipes/guttering because they are light, do not rust like
iron, cheaper and last longer
Polythene is used to make plastic bags in place of paper as they are stronger, do not rip
and are waterproof
The disadvantages of plastics are that the do not rot i.e. the do not decompose (takes
hundreds of years) and fill landfill sites.